Barnyard Bash ~ English Style

Detail of Hand-hooked Pillow

Welcome to the English countryside for the 

First Barnyard Bash 

hosted by Happier Than a Pig in Mud.

~ Barnyard Bash English Style ~

Detail of Dinner Plate by Royal Stafford

It's nearing the end of the 
day in the English countryside.

The farm animals have 
gathered around the table to celebrate.

Big beautiful sunflowers

Held in a Black Toile canister, 
set the stage for a shared meal.

The toile tells 
the story of the farm

Where roosters and hens 
scratch about while song birds flitter above.

Sweet furry bunnies nibble on the fresh green grass, 

and baby chicks look for tasty bugs.

White Porcelain Egg Holder by Kaldun and Bogle

The rooster crows to spread the word that there 

are fresh eggs a plenty from his brood of hens.

Petite Cow Pitchers Made in China

Gentle British White Cattle 
roam the table.

These beautiful creatures 
are known for their gentleness

Which begins before birth.

Royal Stafford Dinner Plate

The table is set with plates of Royal Stafford featuring 

a beautiful transfer-ware scene of the English 

countryside produced in shades of black.

The borders are laced with bands of rope 

and clusters of fruit and blooming flowers.

And layered above white 

Vintage Garden chargers by Ambiance 

which are placed on woven black ruffled placemats.

Vintage flatware with sterling ferrules 

is marked Universal L.F. and C.

Crisp white napkins layered with napkins 

in a black and white paisley are held together 

with pewter napkin rings.

The the color of the bold sunflowers 

is echoed in the embroidery of the initialed napkins.

Individual Butter Tubs by Sadek

Various little farm animals in the form 

of individual butter tubs are gathered for the occasion. 

First to the table is this little piggy.

Small Square Plate in Dotty Black by 222 Fifth

The baby calf seems 
to be tired after a long day.

Butter Spreaders Made in Italy

One of the 
many resident poultry.

And even a small bunny 
has joined in the fun.

So pull up a chair 
and join these little critters . . .

As they gather 
round the table . . .

For the First Barnyard Bash!

Blue Ribbon Vignette by Debi Raitz

Thanks for joining me for my first Barnyard Bash, and a huge thank you to Happier Than a Pig in Mud, our hostess for the First Annual Barnyard Bash. I hope you will also join me at Quimper Club International for a Barnyard Bash ~ French Style. There you find everything is French faience much like the pieces in the farm scene above. This award winning scene, using French faience figural open salts, was created by my friend Debi Raitz. Debi won a BLUE RIBBON on this vignette. Click here to see Barnyard Bash ~ French Style.

Hope to see you there!

This post is also linked to the following weekly memes. Thank you to each of these gracious hostesses.

Cindy @ My Romantic Home

Laurie @ Bargain Hunting & Chatting w/ Laurie

A Few of My Favorite Things Saturday

Susan @ Between Naps On The Porch

Tablescape Thursday

The Regal Hue ~ Violet

Do you see it?

It's there at the base of these glorious poppies . . . Violet.

Violet is the base and lavender is a tint of this royal hue.

These beautiful lavender jewels were grown

by a very kind and thoughtful lady.

Meet Bella of Bella's Rose Cottage.

Not only is this beautiful woman an amazing gardener, she is also a very generous gardener. She frequently shares exquisite photos of the beauty of her Washington state garden, but by August, Bella's stand of lavender poppies had withered.

The whimsical green seed pods that once looked like this, had begun to dry up.

Bella harvested thousands of tiny specks of rich black seeds that popped out of these pods.

Then she carefully packaged them and this thoughtful lady offered a packet of these seeds to her readers who like to garden.

Mid August an envelope, the color of delicate lavender, arrived at my home. This little package had traveled from the North West bearing a beautiful stamp of violets and containing this sweet little package of poppy seeds.

Yes, Bella, here at Hyacinths for the Soul we live by the motto:

" Flowers Feed the Soul "

Thank you, sweet garden friend. In the next week or so I'll be spreading these tiny seeds in some Texas garden soil. Come next spring I hope to have lavender poppies gracefully dancing in the breeze. My heart will be full of joy!

Click here to visit Bella's Rose Cottage where you will find delightful treats await you. Bella is not only an accomplished gardener, she is also an inspiration in the kitchen as well as in her beautiful Victorian home. She had an article published in Old Fashioned Living and has been featured on numerous blogs. Drop in to visit Bella and tell her Hyacinths sent you.

I'm joining Mrs. Matlock in the last class of Rainbow Summer School for the color Violet. Click here to see a list of other participating this week.

Mysterious, Exotic Indigo

Indigo

Indigofera tinctoria is the plant that was once one of the original sources of indigo dye. It is a small shrub with light green leaves and sheafs of delicate pink flowers. This past spring I planted two different varieties of indigo in our garden. I like to use the graceful sheafs of blooms to use as filler in cut flower arrangements.

Indigo, the color of a midnight sky,

the tint of my favorite pair of jeans,

and the dye used to create these exotic fabrics.

Indigo appears in the rainbow between

blue and violet and shares attributes of both.

Hand Dyed Indigo Fabrics

Indigo, a color both rich and mysterious, has traveled through time in many cultures being used as pigment for painting, as dye for cloth, and for both medicinal and cosmetic purposes. A natural dye originally extracted from plants, indigo dye is among the oldest dyes used for both textile dying and painting. Most indigo dye today is usually a synthetic, but these fabrics were dyed using traditional methods of the Yoruba culture of Western Africa.

Gasali Adeyemo

Gasali Adeyemo, one of the international artists at the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market, is a master at his craft of indigo batik dying. Born and raised in a rural village in Nigeria, Adeyemo spent six years to perfect his artistic skills at the Nike Center for Arts and Culture, Nigeria. After his student years, he became a trainer to teach others the arts of the Yoruba people: batik painting on fabric, indigo dyeing, embroidery, applique, and quilt making.

My husband and I had the good fortune to meet Gasali at the 2009 IFAM where he exhibited his craft and sold the rich textiles that he had created. The yards of exotic indigo Batik were done using traditional Adire techniques of tie-dyed fabric with traditional natural indigo dyes.

Totally fascinated, my husband and I listened as Gasali explained this time intensive method. Using raffia, he stitched row upon row of repeatedly folded fabric to create the white pattern on the indigo background.

Once dyed and opened a design of concentric rows of pebble shapes encircle this fabric.

More of the same type of design but a little different color effect.

Other designs are created using paraffin or beeswax to lay out a pattern on the fabric with traditional tools such as a broom stalk or chicken feather. Once the textile is dyed, the wax is carefully removed revealing the white design.

Indigo fabrics dyed with this age old natural process are rare these days. We haven't decided what these yards of fabric will become, but we appreciate the craft and the artisan who created these beautiful textiles. Perhaps a table cloth? Pillows? Or just maybe a quilt?

What would you make with them?

You'll find more indigo at Mrs. Matlock's here.

And The Winner Is . . .

A huge thanks to each of you who took the time to enter this Anniversary Giveback with a thoughtful comment and to all my faithful followers both old and new. I appreciate you more than words can express.

Some think the #13 is unlucky,

but not Mr. Random Generator.

Congratulations to Penny

@ The Comforts of Home/

Lavender Hill Studio!

Meet Penny, mosaic artist and author of two wonderful blogs, The Comforts of Home and Lavender Hill Studio. Penny lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina where she creates exquisite pieces of mosaic art and other delights. This active, creative lady also generously shares her beautiful home, gardening, cooking, and inspiration for a comfortable life. If you don't know Penny, stop by The Comforts of Home for a visit. You'll be charmed with all this lovely lady has to share.

Send me an email, Penny, and the Anniversary Gift Package will be on it's way to North Carolina. I hope you enjoy the contents as much as I enjoyed putting this together.

And again, thank you to all who visit, comment, encourage, correspond, and share your individual talents and creative spirits. It truly has been an amazing year with hours of creative fun and a whole new circle of friendships. I follow and read your blogs with great admiration. Bloggers are an amazing group of individuals who generously and graciously share your talents. Your creativity continually amazes me. I learn from each of you every day.

You, to me, are unique in all the world.